Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Miriam Van hee

kriekerijstraat, sint-amandsberg

there are gardens that have escaped someone’s
watchful eye and in them the sky is as clear
and as cool as a sea breeze in the south can be
you sit at a table and talk to the neighbours, you drink

their wine, and later the mist comes to linger in the pines
and in the foliage where children used to play
and you could hear their voices, now a blackbird
sounds the alarm, the family needs rescuing but we

can’t help, the evening sun is shining on the sun room,
the reeds are swaying in the warm, restless wind
softly an engine starts up in the distance, it’s time for the
ice-cream van to come, but the children aren’t here now

DE KRIEKERIJSTRAAT

DE KRIEKERIJSTRAAT

er zijn tuinen die aan iemands waakzame blik
zijn ontsnapt en waarin de hemel zo helder
en koel is als soms aan een zee in het zuiden
je zit er aan tafel en praat met de buren, je drinkt er

hun wijn, straks komt de mist in de mastbomen
hangen en in het lover waarin vroeger kinderen
speelden en je hun stemmen kon horen, nu slaat
een merel alarm, het gezin moet gered maar wij

kunnen niet helpen, de avondzon schijnt op het glas
van de serre, de lauwe, weerbarstige wind wiegt het riet
zachtjes start in de verte een motor, de ijsjesverkoper
moet komen maar de kinderen zijn er nu niet
Close

kriekerijstraat, sint-amandsberg

there are gardens that have escaped someone’s
watchful eye and in them the sky is as clear
and as cool as a sea breeze in the south can be
you sit at a table and talk to the neighbours, you drink

their wine, and later the mist comes to linger in the pines
and in the foliage where children used to play
and you could hear their voices, now a blackbird
sounds the alarm, the family needs rescuing but we

can’t help, the evening sun is shining on the sun room,
the reeds are swaying in the warm, restless wind
softly an engine starts up in the distance, it’s time for the
ice-cream van to come, but the children aren’t here now

kriekerijstraat, sint-amandsberg

there are gardens that have escaped someone’s
watchful eye and in them the sky is as clear
and as cool as a sea breeze in the south can be
you sit at a table and talk to the neighbours, you drink

their wine, and later the mist comes to linger in the pines
and in the foliage where children used to play
and you could hear their voices, now a blackbird
sounds the alarm, the family needs rescuing but we

can’t help, the evening sun is shining on the sun room,
the reeds are swaying in the warm, restless wind
softly an engine starts up in the distance, it’s time for the
ice-cream van to come, but the children aren’t here now
Sponsors
Gemeente Rotterdam
Nederlands Letterenfonds
Stichting Van Beuningen Peterich-fonds
Prins Bernhard cultuurfonds
Lira fonds
Versopolis
J.E. Jurriaanse
Gefinancierd door de Europese Unie
Elise Mathilde Fonds
Stichting Verzameling van Wijngaarden-Boot
Veerhuis
VDM
Partners
LantarenVenster – Verhalenhuis Belvédère